Allegri and Conte, the Milan-Napoli sliding doors: what might have happened | OneFootball

The Milan-Napoli match on Sunday evening is not just a big Serie A game: it is also the result of a coaching shuffle that, up until four months ago, could have had a completely different outcome, reports Sportmediaset.

Allegri and Conte, the sliding door of Milan-Napoli: what could have happened

The two coaches will face each other 12 years after the last time, when in October 2013, Conte's Juve defeated Max's Milan. The Italian coach wants his sixth championship, while Allegri (with Leao and Jashari to recover) aims to be the anti-Conte.

A true sliding door scenario featuring Massimiliano Allegri, Antonio Conte, and Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Napoli, the fear of Conte's departure

It was the end of May when in Naples, despite the joy of winning the championship in the duel with Inter, there was a lingering fear of losing Conte. Rumors spoke of a coach tempted by the idea of leaving the Azzurri, perhaps to return to Juventus, backed by an ambitious—and very costly—plan to continue growing.

The Allegri option and the preliminary agreement

To avoid being caught unprepared, De Laurentiis took the first steps and contacted Massimiliano Allegri. With the Livorno coach, they reached a preliminary agreement for a two-year contract. A scenario that seemed to take them back to 2014, when Conte suddenly left Juventus and the Bianconeri entrusted Allegri with the bench.

The turning point on May 29

The meeting on May 29 between Conte and the Azzurri president, however, changed everything. De Laurentiis decided to meet the coach's demands, confirming him at the helm of Napoli. At that point, Milan, sensing the possibility of a shake-up, wasted no time: they decisively targeted Allegri and officially announced him on May 30.

Allegri at Milan, Conte still at Napoli

One hundred and twenty-one days later, here is the current scenario: Allegri on Milan's bench, Conte firmly at Napoli. On Sunday evening, the two will face off at San Siro, writing a new chapter in their rivalry.

The championship specialists

Together they have won eleven of the last sixteen Italian championships, sharing a dominance that has marked Serie A over the past decade. The story could have been different, but the present still promises a spectacle: Milan-Napoli is the perfect stage for two coaches who have made the championship their specialty.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.